Client snapshot
A Houston equipment manufacturer sells configured machines. Every quote used to be rebuilt by hand: base unit, options, freight, and the component costs that never made it onto the price sheet.
The challenge
Estimators kept bundle prices in spreadsheets. A sales rep could not see which options were included, which components were extra, or whether a similar quote had already been approved. A routine request sat for about two days, and deals went quiet while the customer waited.
What we built
We set up Zoho CRM around the way this team actually prices equipment. Products and options live in one catalog, with component cost on the line item instead of in someone's private sheet. A quote pulls the bundle, adds the selected options, and generates a customer-ready PDF from the deal. Inventory availability sits on the same record, so a rep does not promise a ship date the floor cannot meet. Managers approve discounts above a set threshold inside the deal, not over email.
- Product catalog with base machines, options, and hidden component cost on each line
- Quote PDF generated from the deal, using the same lines the estimator approved
- Live stock from Zoho Inventory on the deal, so ship dates are not guessed
- Discount approval inside the deal instead of a separate email chain
- A saved-quote library so a repeat configuration is copied, not rebuilt
How the project ran
- 1
Week 1 — price list
We sat with estimating and wrote down how a real quote is built: base unit, options that change cost, freight, and the components that never appeared on the customer PDF.
- 2
Weeks 2–3 — catalog
Bundles and options went into Zoho CRM. Component cost stayed on the line item for margin, and stayed off the customer-facing quote.
- 3
Week 4 — inventory and approvals
Stock from Zoho Inventory showed on the deal. Deals above the discount threshold could not send until a manager approved them.
- 4
Weeks 5–6 — pilot and go-live
Two estimators ran live quotes in parallel with the spreadsheet for a week. Once the PDFs matched, the spreadsheet was retired.
Zoho apps used
- Zoho CRM
- Zoho Inventory
“Estimators stopped rebuilding the same bill of materials in a spreadsheet. If the request comes in during the morning, the quote goes out the same morning.”
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